Floor ventilation through slots in the floor.

Floor ventilation, through slots in storage floor

The ventilation provided by the slots distributed across the floor is very homogeneous and easy to achieve, although:

It requires expensive infrastructure. In fact, it requires building a double floor, the upper one with slots and the lower one inclined so that the space between the floor and the floor decreases in the direction of the airflow. This arrangement causes the air to filter out with approximately equal pressure through all the slots.

Pay attention to the diminishing depth under the floor in the direction of the airflow.

Floor with ventilations slots

Close-up of the ventilations slots for bulk potato or onion storage

These moulds were used to make the «slotted tiles» for the floor. These tiles were made locally.

Bulk stored onions, 4 to 5 m high

Bulk stored potatoes, 4 to 5 m high

Here, you can appreciate the maximum height for storing compact and firm produce

Bulk storage of onions or potatoes must be done in complete darkness. Light will trigger sprouting.

Storage facilities with fully slotted floors produce the most homogeneous ventilation possible. Therefore, even though they require significant investment in infrastructure, they are the ones that are built to store large quantities of potatoes or onions (over 1,000 tonnes).